


Our Destinies Intertwined

by stellahibernis



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Captain America Septender Challenge 2019, Captain America: The First Avenger, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, In Paris, M/M, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, World War II, and a future coda, and some art geekery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-11-02 11:51:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20736770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellahibernis/pseuds/stellahibernis
Summary: “You always wanted to come to Paris. This isn’t much like you pictured, though, is it?”“No, it really isn’t. I never had that clear an image of the city itself, I only imagined bits and pieces. The Notre Dame. The Louvre.” Steve grinned. “It’s surreal, I’m here, and it turns out the Louvre is empty.”“You can come back during peace, when they’ve brought everything back,” Bucky said, and Steve immediately perked up.“I hope we can,” Steve said, and bumped Bucky’s elbow with his. “Where are we going, anyway?”Steve and Bucky take a night for themselves in the newly-liberated Paris.





	Our Destinies Intertwined

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Cap Septender!

Steve immediately relaxed when he’d turned the corner and the cameras were out of sight. He’d never liked the propaganda work, not back when it was all they allowed him to do, and especially not now when it felt like there were other, worthier causes it took his time from. He understood why the brass felt it was important, and he tried to do it as well and as efficiently as he could, if only to get away sooner, but he didn’t have to enjoy it.

This time, the Commandos had been working on the food distribution effort in the newly liberated Paris, and the cameras had followed them around as they did so. It was still all about optics, all about convincing the world they were the good guys, and encouraging the home front, but Steve had resented it less than usual, because at least he’d been doing something important. The city had for a few days been in a serious danger of food shortage, and it had taken a considerable joint effort from the Allies to combat it, but it finally looked like the supply chains were working well enough that people weren’t in danger of starving.

It was late afternoon, and they had leave until the morning of the day after next. Undoubtedly the guys were planning on finding some hole in the wall to drink in, or perhaps a burlesque joint, but Steve really only wanted to spend time with Bucky. He was trailing behind, wondering whether the others would take offense if they just made their excuses, when Bucky dropped back to walk next to him and tugged at his sleeve before heading for an alley to the right. Their team didn’t look back even though Steve was sure they noticed, but by now it seemed everyone had decided to practice selectively good powers of observation.

Bucky clearly knew where he was headed, walking purposefully albeit not so fast that they drew any more attention than was usual. The Parisians were well adjusted to seeing American soldiers around by now, and didn’t really look at them, just hurried to take care of their own business. Steve liked feeling like just another soldier, and while he was curious about their destination, he trusted it would be something good, he knew Bucky well enough for that.

“You always wanted to come to Paris,” Bucky said after they’d walked for a few minutes.

“Well, I mean, I don’t know if I’d say I wanted to come, when I always knew it was impossible. It was one of those unattainable things that you don’t let yourself want.”

Bucky laughed. “That’s one way to put it, I guess. This isn’t much like you pictured, though, is it?”

“No, it really isn’t. I never had that clear an image of the city itself, I only imagined bits and pieces. The Notre Dame. The Louvre.” Steve grinned. “It’s surreal, I’m here, and it turns out the Louvre is empty.”

“You can come back during peace, when they’ve brought everything back,” Bucky said, and Steve immediately perked up, because Bucky usually never talked about the time after the war.

“I hope we can,” Steve said, and bumped Bucky’s elbow with his. “Where are we going, anyway?”

Bucky was quiet for a moment, waiting for them to pass a crowd and reach an emptier stretch of street before answering. “It’s just a place where we can relax overnight.” He leaned a bit closer to Steve. “They’re very discreet. Jeanne told me about them.”

Joy and anticipation bubbled in Steve’s stomach, because Bucky had indeed managed to arrange exactly what he had wished they could do. Still he couldn’t help but tease a bit. “Oh, Jeanne told you? Must be good then.”

Bucky flashed a grin at him. “Is that jealousy I detect there, Captain?”

Steve held back from answering until Bucky looked at him again in expectation, and then simply said, “No.” He was gratified to see Bucky tuck his face down, smiling a bit, and there was even the faintest flush on the apples of his cheeks.

He was glad to be able to talk more freely again with Bucky, because they’d had to keep a bit more distance than usual recently. It wouldn’t do to look too close on the cameras, even when Steve knew the people making the propaganda films were rather enamored by the idea of them having been best friends since childhood. There still was a line that they must not cross when potentially a lot of people might see and start talking.

In addition, for some weeks leading up to the battle that culminated in the freeing of the city, they’d been working together with a group of French freedom fighters, and hence had been more careful than they had to be when it was just their own team these days. Jeanne was one of the French fighters, and she’d gotten along very well with Bucky. Steve knew even some of the Commandos had wondered how he would take it, and might even have talked to Bucky about it, hence the question about jealousy, but in truth he wasn’t and hadn’t been at any time. He’d long ago learned he didn’t need to be jealous when it came to Bucky. Steve knew that Bucky’s ease and flirty manners didn’t mean anything other than that he was a joy to be around, they had nothing to do with what or who Bucky cared about. In fact, Steve had gotten a distinct impression Jeanne, who was in many ways quite as observant as Peggy, had understood Bucky wasn’t interested, and had actually liked his company precisely because of this fact.

The rest of the walk took about a quarter of an hour, and Steve enjoyed it thoroughly, the anticipation simmering inside him. Bucky had probably been at their destination already earlier when he’d had some time off and Steve hadn’t, because he ducked into a side alley without hesitation, and knocked on an unmarked door that immediately opened.

Inside it was nearly dark, but Bucky just beckoned Steve to follow, and he did so without question, not looking too closely at the person holding the door who must have wanted it that way considering how they stayed in the shadow. After passing through another door, they came to a small hall where a young woman was reading behind a desk, and when they stepped in she said nothing, just selected a key from a hook in the wall behind her and handed it to Bucky. All the while she didn’t appear to pay any attention to Steve at all, and he had to agree with Bucky, they did indeed know very well how to appear discreet here, and he trusted they actually were so as well. Such places didn’t survive for long if they gave away the secrets of their patrons, and everything Steve saw as they climbed up the stairs spoke of money spent well. The decor was fairly simple, there were no rich ornaments or furniture, but everything was clean and neat and in good repair.

They climbed all the way to the top floor, and Bucky let them in to a spacious room that was furnished with a large bed, plush rugs, a couple of comfortable chairs, and a small table. A door at one side led to a bathroom where Steve saw that a bath had already been prepared in the large tub, the water steaming in a way that indicated it must have been made just before they arrived. In the main room, the windows were open.

“There’s the Notre Dame for you, at least,” Bucky said, making a sweeping gesture toward the window.

He was indeed correct, the cathedral was right across the street and the river from them, its walls glowing under the late afternoon sunlight, the river below reflecting the very blue sky. Steve half regretted not having brought anything to paint or draw with, but he leaned out and took a good look at the scene, pressing the sight into his memory. When he straightened up again he saw Bucky looking at him, a faint smile on his face.

“What?”

“You were thinking of painting it, weren’t you? I know you still get mesmerized by the colors sometimes.”

Steve stepped closer to Bucky into the dim room, and pulled him in for a kiss. He wasn’t worried about the open window, because they were so high up that it was impossible to see anyone inside from the street unless they were standing right at the window. He could just focus on Bucky and think of nothing else for the night.

Well, there was one thing that did rather call for him, but it didn’t mean being away from Bucky. “Let’s take a bath,” he whispered, pressing another kiss on Bucky’s lips before pulling away and starting to shed his uniform, Bucky following suit.

The tub was large enough to hold them both comfortably, there was a pile of soft white towels, and the foam on top of the bath had the faintest scent of lavender. Steve leaned back and closed his eyes, letting the warm water work its magic on his muscles. The last time he’d had a proper bath was during the USO tour back in the States. They hadn’t lived in luxury by any means, but they’d had some comforts at least. Ever since he came to Europe all he’d had were showers which were lukewarm at best, and sometimes they bathed in rivers or lakes if they happened at one and were safe enough to stop.

Their legs were comfortably tangled together as they sat opposite each other, both of them enjoying the downtime and opportunity to relax. When it had looked like there was an evening of revelry with the team ahead, Steve had only wanted to escape and to get a chance of some time and privacy with Bucky to get off properly, but now that they had it and could be as sure as generally possible that they wouldn’t be disturbed, he could wait and take his time. Now that he knew what was waiting ahead Steve could savor the anticipation, especially since Bucky was right there with him.

Steve opened his eyes again, because whenever he could look at Bucky without alerting anyone to the state of things between the two of them, he couldn’t stand to be very long without doing so, no matter how comfortable and lazy he was feeling. One of Bucky’s feet was wedged between him and the side of the tub, and Steve pulled it into his lap and dug his thumb along the bottom. Bucky let out a sound that was between a giggle and a moan, clearly unable to decide whether it tickled more than felt good. Steve laughed at him, easily holding on to Bucky’s foot when he tried to kick him in retaliation. Bucky clearly wasn’t too bothered by it, since he didn’t try to use his other foot, and let himself slip down a bit more, shifting so that his foot settled more comfortably on Steve’s lap.

Steve rubbed at the sole of Bucky’s foot and up the calf, and after a while pulled his other foot on his lap as well, giving it the same treatment. By the time he was done and just lightly petting Bucky’s skin, Bucky had slipped down so low against the side of the tub that his nose was barely above the bubbles. Steve would have suspected he’d fallen asleep, except he was smiling with obvious contentedness.

They finally had to get up because the water was cooling down, but by then Steve was feeling much better, as if a lot of the stress he had to carry all the time had floated away in the water, and Bucky seemed almost carefree in a way that hadn’t been very common during their adulthood even when they’d lived in New York, and hadn’t appeared at all in Europe. Steve planted a kiss on Bucky’s flushed cheek just for the happiness of it, but didn’t start anything else right then. They cleaned themselves, and Steve felt like even the slow accumulation of grime that the tepid showers never seemed to be able to banish was finally gone, and he felt much better for it.

He also couldn’t wait to mess them up again a bit.

Neither of them bothered to dress, because it had been a fairly hot day, and the bath had left them so heated and flushed that the slight breeze coming from the river through the window felt like a blessing. Not to mention, clothes would just get in the way soon enough. Bucky poured out some water for the both of them, and sat down at the edge of the bed to savor it. Steve gulped his first glass down, poured himself another, and managed to drink it at a bit more sedate pace, his eyes landing on Bucky once more, happiness curling up inside him at how unusually at ease Bucky looked. After he’d downed the second glass he ducked in the bathroom for a moment and hung up his towel to dry.

Back in the main room he had to pause for a bit to just look at Bucky, who’d put away his glass, dropped his towel carelessly on the floor, and was leaning back supported by his elbows, eyes again closed as he seemingly basked in the relaxation. It was late enough that the sun was already setting, the light in the sky was tinted with pinks and oranges, and even in the relative shade of indoors Bucky’s skin and hair seemed to catch the highlights of it, the richness in the browns of his hair becoming more apparent, his skin gaining a healthy glow. A breeze picked up, rippling over Bucky’s skin, and finally breaking Steve out of his enchantment.

Steve went to Bucky, knelt down between his feet, and ran his palms up and down his thighs, settling just above knees. The rug under him was plush and comfortable, undoubtedly just for this exact purpose. Bucky blinked his eyes open to look at him, his gaze still hooded and lazy, but he did push himself up and forward, and Steve met him in a kiss. He didn’t care that it was a bit awkward when he had to reach up and Bucky had to crouch down for their lips to meet, he savored it, the taste of Bucky’s lips and the ability to focus on nothing but him.

He felt Bucky’s thighs quivering under his hands, an expectant tautness in the muscles, the potential in them that could be used for so many things. Bucky could climb a tree to have a look around, could march for days on end if needed, could run into battle. He could do all those things, could rely on his body when he needed to, and Steve loved to know it. And because of that, he wanted to help Bucky relax for now, wanted him to be able to allow all that potential to retreat for a moment.

He pulled away from the kiss, smiling as Bucky tried to follow at first until the bend of his back became too awkward, and then pouted at him. Steve kind of wanted to reach back up to kiss those lips he’d been obsessed over for years before he knew how they tasted, but he had a plan, and these days he was pretty good at following those, although he did admit to himself that it being of the kind that was born out of momentary inspiration and joy made it much easier.

He raised his hand and with just the tips of his fingers at Bucky’s chest pushed him back, and perhaps Bucky sensed his mood because he didn’t protest even in gesture but yielded and again settled on his elbows, miles of bare skin stretched in front of Steve. Bucky was smiling now, eyes half closed again as he looked down, apparently ready to wait and see what Steve had thought up.

Steve settled his hand back on Bucky’s knee, letting it lay there but not really holding on or pressing Bucky to widen them. For several long moments he stayed there on his knees between Bucky’s legs, just watching him, until Bucky shuddered under his gaze in anticipation. Only then he bent down, his hands on Bucky’s knees still the only contact between them.

Bucky was already obviously aroused, his cock hardening where it lay against his hip crease. Steve watched the fine hairs on Bucky’s inner thigh rise as he breathed over them, and smiled when Bucky let out a shuddering exhale. He glanced up but had to immediately look back down, Bucky’s gaze on him was so intense that it almost made him shy away despite the fact they’d already done everything with each other in the past.

Although not quite like this, Steve had to admit as he moved over Bucky’s cock, never quite touching, just observing the effect his breaths had on Bucky’s skin. Even though he’d been on his knees in front of Bucky many times before, the surroundings made a difference, because it was the first time they’d come anywhere with the sole purpose of having sex. Even their shared apartment had never felt like this, because it had contained their whole lives, all their private matters. Here it felt like he could almost literally leave everything but what was between the two of them behind the door.

Bucky twitched, his legs shifting against Steve’s hands. “If you don’t get on soon I’ll have to help you with it,” Bucky said, his voice high and reedy with tension, and Steve had to smile at it.

“Whatever you want, Buck.”

He finally leaned down the last fractions of the inch that had been there between his lips and Bucky’s cock that was almost fully hard now. He started with a very light touch, brushing his lips down the side of it toward the base, and pressing harder when coming up again, opening his mouth to let his tongue slide over Bucky’s skin, feeling it hardening yet more as he reached the tip again.

Steve’s own cock was achingly erect between his legs, and he pressed his fingers a bit more into Bucky’s skin just to ground himself, to prevent himself from reaching down. Bucky shifted his feet, opening his knees as wide as they went, clearly wanting Steve to properly dive in. It was an invitation that Steve didn’t want to resist, but he still kept it light and soft, taking the tip of Bucky’s cock in his mouth, giving it one short suck and letting it go again, pressing an open mouthed kiss on it. Bucky shuddered under him, letting out a moan. It wasn’t loud, but Steve cherished it nonetheless, because it was more than he’d ever heard from Bucky.

He kissed his way downward again, and breathed in the scent of Bucky at his groin, mixed with the faint remains of the lavender from the soap that was now getting overpowered with just Bucky. Bucky’s cock was fully hard now, standing free against Steve’s cheek. He nuzzled at it, listening to the hitches of breath and low gasps that Bucky let out, still not comfortable with being loud because of a habit ingrained by years.

“Steve,” Bucky gritted out, the words clearly only barely at his reach, and Steve decided to show some mercy for him.

He rose a bit higher on his knees to get a better leverage, and again wrapped his lips around Bucky’s cock, licking around it and then sucking more forcefully than he had before. Bucky moaned again and shifted, and Steve only knew why when Bucky’s hand was in his hair, fingers pushing among the strands but not gripping, still as careful as he’d always been. Steve butted his head against Bucky’s hand a bit before sinking deeper, taking more of Bucky inside his mouth, and Bucky got the message and actually grasped his hair. It didn’t hurt really, it stung just the right way, the sensation coursing from the top of Steve’s head right down to his hard cock. He still refused to give it any attention, he was going to take care of Bucky first.

He was still careful and measured in his ministrations, swallowing Bucky’s cock down and pulling back again, pushing at the underside with his tongue, sometimes pulling out entirely to lick at the very tip, sucking more forcefully as he went down again. He knew the rhythm Bucky liked, knew what would bring him to close, and relished the fact that he could now take his time, that his lungs were strong enough to gradually approach it, to focus fully on Bucky and not keeping track of whether he was getting enough air at any time.

Bucky’s breaths and gasps were growing louder as Steve kept steadily intensifying both the pace and the pressure on him, and at one particularly forceful suck Bucky finally lost balance on his elbow and flopped down to his back, his grasp of Steve’s hair tugging more before he managed to control it. He moaned out loud now, seemingly having lost the rest of his inhibitions as much as he probably would allow himself, and so Steve finally stopped stalling and found the rhythm that he knew would bring Bucky to the orgasm.

It didn’t take him long, after all the steady buildup Bucky was ready to go now that Steve allowed the intensity to grow faster. Steve dove deeper, relaxing his throat and taking all of Bucky inside his mouth, swallowing around him as Bucky came. Steve kept at it, taking everything Bucky had, pulling the last strings of bliss out of him until Bucky’s grasp of his hair loosened and all his muscles relaxed from the tautness of orgasm.

Steve pulled away, making sure nothing spilled as he did so, and rested his cheek against Bucky’s inner thigh. He finally let go of Bucky’s knees and touched himself, the first tug at his cock pulling a whine out of him because it was both blissful and painful. At the sound, Bucky’s fingers came back to his hair tugging again a bit, and Steve only needed a few pulls before he spilled in his fist, groaning with satisfaction and blacking out.

He came back to himself in a moment, still kneeling at Bucky’s feet, his head resting on Bucky’s thigh. Bucky had pulled himself to sit up and was petting his hair, smoothing the strands and massaging his scalp. Steve smiled automatically with the happiness filling every bit of him, and waited a bit before opening his eyes and peering up at Bucky, who was looking down at him with soft eyes and a bright smile. Steve wanted to kiss him again.

Steve reached to his side where Bucky had dropped his towel, hastily cleaned his hand, and rose to his feet only to push Bucky down on his back and climb in after him. It took a few moments of maneuvering, but soon they were comfortably nestled under the sheets, arms wrapped around each other. Steve leaned in for the kiss, already planning for what he wanted to do the rest of the night.

* * *

It took decades filled with indescribable hardship, with some bright patches here and there, but they did eventually come back to Paris and visited the Louvre. When he walked in Steve had a list of things he wanted to see in his head, but he forgot them almost immediately, instead ending up wandering in the rooms filled with people, attention pulled here and there. Bucky was always nearby, his presence both larger and more solid and at the same time more stealthy than he’d been the previous time they’d been in Paris. Steve too felt like an almost completely different person, the time in between had stretched and molded him, changed him beyond recovery.

Some things still stayed the same, and never a day went by that Steve wasn’t grateful that not only their love had withstood through time, but they’d been given this chance to finally realize it fully without having to hide or fear. By now people were so used to the idea of the two of them that even though he noticed people sometimes recognizing them, usually from how Bucky stiffened just a little bit next to him, no one bothered them.

Steve was conscious of Bucky in a way that he always was when they were together, a part of him open only to his presence, but the rest of his attention was focused on the building and the art. He knew Bucky was still the one of them that was more paranoid, not to mention less keen on the art, and so he probably was keeping an eye on everyone around them. Steve always felt safe with him, even when he needed to concentrate on other things.

He’d had the list, and he’d had expectations, but he’d also known that the art pieces would be different when seen in person rather than in pictures, and so he hadn’t been sure what would arrest his attention the most. He stopped in front of many of them, spent time taking in all the details, relishing in picking up new things in familiar pieces, but it was the  _ Winged Victory of Samothrace _ that made him stay and focus, surprised by how it seemed to touch him right in the core.

Every detail of the sculpture was beautiful, especially the details of the delicate drapery of her clothes fluttering in the wind, but it was really the posture that spoke to Steve, the movement that was obvious even in the stillness of the marble. She was strong and confident in her stride, but the way her wings were thrown back also made him feel like she was about to fling herself into something unknown.

He stood there and stared, forgetting everything around him for what must have been minutes, until Bucky leaned closer to him and took his hand.

“I guess I should have known this would be the one that spoke to you,” Bucky said, and Steve could hear the smile in his voice.

Steve looked at him, and it wasn’t hard at all to draw his eyes away from the beauty of the statue, because despite years spent together he hadn’t had nearly enough time to look at Bucky, and while beautiful, the  _ Victory _ was still only cold marble, infinitely less interesting. He suspected that even if they were to live centuries, as some people had suggested they might because of the serum, he still wouldn’t feel like he’d had enough time to look at Bucky, and he was grateful for every day they had together.

“Thanks for insisting we visit here,” Steve said, squeezing Bucky’s hand. He took one last look at the  _ Victory, _ committing her in his mind and heart, and turned away, pulling Bucky with him. “Let’s go find dinner, I’m starving. And afterward I think we can try to replicate some of the things we got up to the last time we were here.”

Bucky grinned and fell in step next to him, never letting go of his hand as they went, discussing what they felt like trying for dinner that night. Steve was in the mood for something fast now that he had plans for later that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> You can also find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/stellahibernis/status/1175839643054616576), [Tumblr](https://stellahibernis.tumblr.com/post/187883961772/our-destinies-intertwined), and [Dreamwidth](https://stellahibernis.dreamwidth.org/).
> 
> This fic had an unusual amount of research for such a short fluff piece, highlights including the basic outline of the liberation, history of bubble bath, and going through the collections of the Louvre trying to figure out what would speak to Steve.


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